Planning and Developing a Marketing Campaign Essay

In this assignment, I will be exploring the marketing mix and all of its different factors as well as to apply this to Coca-Cola and how they are currently and may be affected by the marketing mix in the future. Product – A product is anything that is capable of satisfying customer needs. There are two different offerings of this being, a physical item or of a virtual type. The product is therefore created at a specific cost and marketed at a desired price that would be deemed as acceptable for the quality of the item. Every product will follow a lifecycle, a company can increase its competitive edge. There are many different ways in which they can develop or expand upon a certain product so that it can remain relevant and up to date with the changing market especially when it reaches the decline or end of its life. Product development – The process of creating or improving a product or service and managing it during all stages from design through marketing. Product development is a key part of introducing a new, appealing product to their audience, this process may involve numerous modifications to the product so that it does meet the needs and purpose of the product. There are various stages that a new or improved product or service goes through from design, through developing, testing, and marketing it. Form and Function – form fit function, is used in manufacturing to describe the identifying characteristics of a part. For example, the screw is intended to hold other parts of the product together. In practice, the rule of form follows function, start the design process by first getting as much information as possible about the purpose of the piece you are creating. Using this process allows a company to understand and ensure that the product is acceptable as well as fit for its purpose. Without this process, the intentions and purpose for a product can be lost, which ideally is not a stage of which what a company would want to beat. Packaging – Packaging is a very crucial part when creating and marketing a product because it is the first thing the customer sees before purchasing the product, therefore, this makes the packaging of the product to be respectable and appropriate to catch the eye of the consumer. How the product is packaged may also be what attracts the consumer to check out the product on the shelf or it could be a product that stands out from the rest online, amongst its competitors. For this reason, companies conduct extensive research on color schemes, designs and types of product packaging that is the most appealing to its intended consumer. The main function of packaging is to protect the product from damage during the process from the producer to the consumer, this process involves travel and shelf life of the product. Branding – Branding a product was much easier when there were no websites, smartphones, interactive games or social media. Today, creative teams are required to seamlessly brand products across multiple media, using the same voice, design and messaging, often with different creative teams and designers creating separate brand extensions. Without a strong brand behind your product line, there’s little to compel a buyer to choose you over another option. And with so many options in most markets today, branding is more important than ever. Product branding gives the items in your store an identity within the marketplace. Good branding can allow your specific products to stand out against what a competitor offers, and engender the kind of brand loyalty that pulls customers into your store. That identity is built of numerous components, including logos, design, packaging, messaging as well as names and descriptions. Coca-Cola has been around since 1892 and has developed a well-known brand all over the world. They are a company who have worked on producing a high quality, refreshing product that meets the needs of their consumers. They have developed their product minimally and have always offered the same refreshing taste. From having a simple and unique design this has meant that they can stand out amongst competitive brands such as Pepsi. In addition, the look of the product has also been similar since they started, by doing this Coca-Cola is able to provide a distinctive well-known product all over the world. Coca-Cola is the best marketing and branding company in the world, the company built began with one soda. Today it is one of the world’s most valuable brands and they’ve done it by integrating different components into the marketing mix. Price – is the value that is put into a product or service and is the result of a complex set of calculations, research and understanding, and risk-taking ability. A pricing strategy takes into account segments, ability to pay, market conditions, competitor actions, trade margins and input costs, amongst others. It is targeted at the defined customers and against competitors. Penetration Pricing – Penetration pricing refers to a marketing strategy used by businesses to attract customers to a new product or service. Penetration pricing is the practice of offering a low price for a new product or service during its initial offering in order to lure customers away from competitors. Penetration pricing is most commonly associated with a marketing objective of increasing market share or sales volume. In the short term, penetration pricing is likely to result in lower profits than would be the case if the price were set higher. Skimming Pricing – Price skimming is a pricing strategy in which a marketer sets a relatively high initial price for a product or service at first, then lowers the price over time. It is a temporal version of price discrimination/yield management. Competitive Pricing – Competitive pricing is setting the price of a product or service based on what the competition is charging. This pricing method is used more often by businesses selling similar products since services can vary from business to business, while the attributes of a product remain similar. This type of pricing strategy is generally used once a price for a product or service has reached a level of equilibrium, which occurs when a product has been on the market for a long time and there are many substitutes for the product. Cost plus Pricing – Cost-plus pricing, also called markup pricing or markup pricing is the practice by a company of determining the cost of their product to them and then adding a percentage on top of that price to determine the selling price to the customer. Cost-plus pricing is a very simple cost-based pricing strategy for setting the prices of goods and services. The amount of money charged for a product or service, or the sum of the values that Consumers exchange for the benefits of having or using the product or services. As price gives us the profit so this P is very important for a business price of the product should be that which gives maximum benefit to the company and which gives maximum satisfaction to the customer. For Coca-Cola, there are many factors that they kept in mind while determining the pricing strategy. Firstly, the price should be set according to the product demand of public because it is of what which gives the company maximum revenue. Price should also not be too low or too high then the price competitor is charging from otherwise nobody will buy their product. Another factor is that price must be keeping the view of your target market. The price of Coca-Cola, despite being the market leader is the same as that of its competitors, sometimes, Pepsi places its customers into some psychological pricing strategies by reducing a high priced bottle and consumers think that they save a lot of money from this. Place – In the marketing mix, the process of moving products from the producer to the intended user is called the place. In other words, it is how your product is bought and where it is bought. This movement could be through a combination of intermediaries such as distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. In addition, a newer method is the internet which itself is a marketplace now. Through the use of the right place, a company can increase sales and maintain these over a longer period of time. In turn, this would mean a greater share of the market and increased revenues and profits. Correct placement is a vital activity that is focused on reaching the right target audience at the right time. Distribution Channels – Channels are broken into direct and indirect forms, with a †direct† channel allowing the consumer to buy the good from the manufacturer, and a †indirect† channel allowing the consumer to buy the good from a wholesaler or retailer. A distribution channel is a chain of businesses or intermediaries through which a good or service passes until it reaches the end consumer. It can include wholesalers, retailers, distributors and even the internet itself. Retailers – A retailer is a person or business that sells goods to the public in relatively small quantities for use or consumption rather than for resale. Retail distribution is the most traditional form of the distribution channel. The common model includes the manufacturer using an intermediary such as a wholesaler or distributor to deliver products directly to retailers, then ultimately to the consumer.   Wholesalers – Manufacturers may also employ wholesale operations that purchase products from manufacturers at a deeply discounted price. The wholesaler often uses a distributor or other smaller wholesaler as an intermediary to deliver products in bulk to retailers, or it may offer products directly to retailers or consumers. The scope of the manufacturer relationship with the wholesaler can have varying effects on product delivery time and price. Coca-Cola is a global business that operates on a local scale, in every community where we do business. We are able to create global reach with local focus because of the strength of the Coca-Cola system, which comprises our Company and our nearly 250 bottling partners worldwide. The firm’s distribution system is one of the most well planned and executed compared to all other drinks of the same category. It has such an impact on consumers and is so successful that even wholesalers and distributors need the product for their business’ success. Coke’s position on consumer’s mind makes it essential to retailers and wholesalers. They have achieved their goal due to this high visibility, and to the availability of their products all over the world, even remote places. Promotion – There is much more to promotion than advertising. Businesses use various methods to gain publicity. Promotion refers to the methods used by a business to make customers aware of its product. Advertising is just one of the means a business can use to create publicity. For example, product promotion performed by a typical business might take the form of advertising the product in question via print or Internet ads, direct mail or e-mail letters, trade shows, telephone and personal sales calls, TV and radio ads, billboards, posters and flyers. Public relations – Public relations is the way organizations, companies and individuals communicate with the public and media. A PR specialist communicates with the target audience directly or indirectly through media with an aim to create and maintain a positive image and create a strong relationship with the audience. Examples include press releases, newsletters, public appearances, etc. as well as utilization of the World Wide Web. Sponsorship – advertising that seeks to establish a deeper association and integration between an advertiser and a publisher, often involving coordinated beyond-the-banner placements. Examples of sponsorships vary widely, as the whole point is to establish a unique advertising opportunity than afforded by typical rotating advertisements. They may include several fixed ad placements, advertorials, co-branded content sections, or anything the advertiser and publisher can agree on. Social and or other Media – The emergence of Internet-based social media has made it possible for one person to communicate with hundreds or even thousands of other people about products and the companies that provide them. The impact of consumer-to-consumer communications has been greatly magnified in the marketplace. The first role of social media is reliable with the use of traditional integrated marketing Communication tools. That is, companies can use social media to talk to their customers through such platforms as blogs, as well as Facebook groups. These media may either be the company- sponsored or sponsored by other individuals or organizations. The second promotion-related role of social media is unique: customers can use it to communicate with one another. Guerrilla marketing – The goal of guerrilla marketing was to use unconventional tactics to advertise on a small budget. It is an advertisement strategy concept designed for businesses to promote their products or services in an unconventional way with little budget to spend. This involves high energy and imagination focusing on grasping the attention of the public in more personal and memorable level. The term guerrilla marketing was inspired by guerrilla warfare which is a form of irregular warfare and relates to the small tactic strategies used by armed civilians. Many of these tactics include ambushes, sabotage, raids and elements of surprise. Much like guerrilla warfare, guerrilla marketing uses the same sort of tactics in the marketing industry. Personal selling – Personal selling is the process of communicating with a potential buyer face-to-face with the purpose of selling a product or service. Personal selling is one part of a company’s promotion mix, along with advertising, sales promotion, and public relations. It is a strategy that salespeople use to convince customers to purchase a product. The salesperson uses a personalized approach, tailored to meet the individual needs of the customer, to demonstrate the ways that the product will benefit the company. Product placement – An advertising technique used by companies to subtly promote their products through a non-traditional advertising technique, usually through appearances in film, television, or other media. Product placements are often initiated through an agreement between a product manufacturer and the media company in which the media company receives an economic benefit. A company will often pay a fee to have their product used, displayed, or significantly featured in a movie or show. For example, Coca-Cola could pay a given fee to have the title character drinking a Coke, instead of a Pepsi beverage. Digital Marketing – The promotion of products or brands via one or more forms of electronic media. For example, advertising mediums that might be used as part of the digital marketing strategy of a business could include promotional efforts made via the Internet, social media, mobile phones and electronic billboards, as well as via digital and television and radio channels. Corporate image – Similar to a firm’s reputation or goodwill, it is the public perception of the firm rather than a reflection of its actual state or position. Unlike corporate identity, it is fluid and can change overnight from positive to negative to neutral. Large firms use various corporate advertising techniques to enhance their image in order to improve their desirability as a supplier, employer, customer or the borrower.

Programming Languages Essay

The advent of the modern era gave rise to the growth of the importance of computers and technology to the lives of the humans. The ease with which using computers is associated has attracted users to further improve the way computers can better serve humans. One of the ways that computer was improved was through programming languages. Programming languages was developed and was further enhanced. A programming language is defined as an artificial language essential in writing instructions (â€Å"Programming Language†) and computer programs in a series of instructions that humans can understand and compilers and linkers can read. This program is then translated into a machine code that the computer can understand and run (Bolton). Programming languages did not come easy, as its first inventions were difficult to operate. In the 1940s, computer programs required programmers to write the sequences of digits that the computer performed. It was not just difficult but was bound to errors. Programmers were supposed to write memory locations. This was not possible at all times when there are errors (â€Å"Programming Language†). This proved to be inefficient and slow. Soon computer languages were developed to address these problems (Bolton). Some of the programming languages used then are Fortran, Cobol, and Basic. These were the programming languages that were used during the 1960s and the 1970s (Bolton). Fortran, which stands the for Formula Translation, was the first language to be developed by IBM during the late 1950s. This language gives importance to the efficiency of compilation and execution. Cobol, on the other hand, was developed during the 1960s as a business application language for mini and mainframe programming (â€Å"Cobol†). Another programming language that was developed in 1960s that was used for microcomputer programming purposes is BASIC (â€Å"Programming Language†). It stands for Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. BASIC was developed to be an alternative for Fortran (Smillie). Today, the widely used programming languages are C, C++, and Java. The C programming language was developed in 1970s at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for the Operating Systems (Bolton), and was used for commercial applications (â€Å"Programming Language†). It was developed mainly as a systems language for the UNIX environment (Smillie). It is still used today on Unix and Linux systems (Bolton). The C++ programming language, on the other hand, was developed in 1980s at AT&T Bell Laboratories (â€Å"Programming Language†) and is the oldest among the three (Akhverdyan). Its developers considered it to be a superset of C, and both were used for the introductory computing courses (Smillie). The primary purpose for developing the language was adding Object Oriented Programming to C (Bolton). The computer programming industry liked to use C++ because it allows the allocation of memory and deleting it whenever the user wants. Moreover, C++ contains the features that Java offers, and it allows the user to make the program in an â€Å"object oriented manner† (Akhverdyan). Java was developed by Sun, mainly designed to write programs for computer chips in electronic appliances. Later on, Java was discovered to be ideal for designing and implementing programs for the Internet (Smillie). It is easier to use because its commands are English based, and not in numeric codes. Further, humans can easily read and write in Java (Leahy). It is better than the previously mentioned programming languages because it has an applet, a feature that only Java has. Applets are used in the World Wide Web. Another feature of Java is that it is cross-platform, which means that the code written in Windows can be compiled in other operating systems (Bolton). Other characteristics of Java are its ease of use, security, reliability and platform independence (Leahy). Works Cited Akhverdyan, Hamik. 2009 January 5. How to Choose the Right Programming Language. Associated Content. 12 January 2009 . Bolton, David. 2009. What is a Programming Language? Associated Content. 12 January 2009 . â€Å"Cobol. † 2008. Answers. com. 12 January 2009 . Leahy, Paul. 2009. What is Java? About. com. 12 January 2009 . â€Å"Programming Language. † 2008. Answers. com. 12 January 2009 . Smillie, Keith. 2006. â€Å"Programming Then and Now: From the LGP-30 to the laptop. † 12 January 2009 .

Nutrition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Nutrition - Essay Example The council set a daily allowance of 15 milligrams oral intake for males, 19 milligrams for females and 9 milligrams for infants. Zinc is absorbed in the ileum and the jejunum where control mechanism of the body makes it complicated to take in too much of zinc. The function of zinc can be catalytically, structural or regulatory. Some enzymes in the body depend on zinc for them to catalyze important chemical reaction in the body. Finger proteins of zinc have been found to control expressions of gene from its transcription function. It has also been found that zinc influence the release of hormones and impulse transmission of the nerves. It also plays an important role in the cell membrane and protein structures in the body. Red meats like beef, shellfish and other seafoods, eggs, lamb, nuts, whole grains, yoghurt and nuts are good sources of zinc. However, one may also get zinc from supplements. Deficiency of zinc may cause delay healing in wounds, enlargement of the prostate glands, neuropsychiatric abnormalities, diarrhea and alopecia. Severe zinc deficiency may cause mood change, taste and smell dysfunction, anorexia and cognitive impairment. Infants who suffer from deficiency of zinc are irritable and hard to

Ethics and the Impaired Employee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Ethics and the Impaired Employee - Essay Example This study highlights that after Beverly states that she had four young children at home and had no other provider in the household to assist, the supervisor should have realized that Beverly’s drinking problems were likely a product of a stresses involved with single parenthood and the constant financial struggle which being a sole provider can create. For example, there are many psychological theories of motivation which suggest that an individual must have a sense of security as well as a sense of belonging within an organization in order to achieve maximum workforce performance on the job. Beverly is likely experiencing lowered security because of her financial situation and likely feels that her long-term sense of importance within the organization is being threatened by such a strict focus on policy and compliance. By highlighting all of her problems, rather than discussing the reasons behind the problems, the supervisor in the case study is isolating Beverly from the re st of the organizational staff and sending the message that she is deeply troubled. This discussion highlights that what Beverly required was for the supervisor to be more empathic to Beverly’s needs and attempt to find out what might be creating the psychological motivation to drink. Addressing the issue from a different angle would likely have prevented Beverly from committing suicide. For example, the supervisor could have asked whether there were problems with colleagues or with the organizational structure itself, creating the opportunity for Beverly to be more open and honest about what was really going on with her impairment issues. The supervisor should have set a positive interpersonal environment right from the beginning where it was illustrated that the supervisor and the organization is concerned about the well-being of Beverly.

Topic 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Topic 2 - Essay Example in the company by â€Å"focusing attention on the sources of demand for activities and by permitting management to create behavioural incentives to improve one or more aspects of the business† (The Chartered Institute of Accountants, nd). This process of demand can however be inefficient especially if management does not know the quantity of demand that should improve quantities. Just-in-time complements this shortcoming by providing the material quantity of what is needed and when it is needed. Just-in-time marketing also benefits activity based management because it provides more accurate information regarding the quantity of resources needed in its quest to generate meaningful information that would be used for decision making. Just-in-time would also make the activity of quantifying the cost of the performance of activities more proactive because it would instead quantify what is need to perform improvements instead of just quantifying the resources expended which could be inefficient. In sum, Just-in-time manufacturing would complement activity based management by providing the information it needed to become efficient in its strategic decision making to improve the

238SAM Contemporary Supply Chain Management , 253SAM Management of Essay

238SAM Contemporary Supply Chain Management , 253SAM Management of E-Commerce , 251SAM Business Decision Management - Essay Example Lately, everything is build around the concept of internet and most businesses, JLR included, are earning a fortune from the use of the internet. Almost all operations are conducted via the internet among various entities in order to satisfy the objectives of a given entity and ensuring that the desired profit has been earned from the operations. A key ingredient of e-commerce is the concept that involves electronic trading, the advertisement of goods and procurement of raw materials, goods and services over the internet. The success and volume of online marketing has been evidenced on the internet and more and more businesses and other activities have been conducted via the internet. With success in establishing such an environment on the internet, it is evident that every computer has become a window opportunity to all businesses and individuals that are involved in the businesses (Schniederjans & Cao, 2002). An electronic media that is known as internet has the potential to dimini sh transaction times and transforming time incredibly, while in the meantime making qualified data accessible all around and through this, most consumers and producers are able to access information about their various products that they need or are searching for. Internet electronic commerce has been embraced by most business people and consumers as a means of reducing operational costs to an organization and as a high potential of earning revenue from the various operations in an organization. Different departments in an organization are able to use and apply the medium so that efficiency can be achieved. The marketing department for example it is able to advertise the product as in our case, JLR will easily place the product in the market and more consumers are able to access it. It involves the placing of the product specifications and the major changes that have transformed it for consumers to value and make the right choice. To the production and manufacturing department, it e nables provision of the raw materials to produce the new model to be availed and requested for. To the finance and accounting departments, JLR will be able to utilize the systems of revenue accountability and be able to track the production, marketing and delivery costs of the entire products (Aka?li, 2005). The omnipresence of the web and the accessibility of browsers over different platforms provide a common base or platform upon which the system has been able to maximally function, and this has increased the business potential of doing businesses. The platform has reduced incidents of software distribution and software installation, thus improving and encouraging the expansion of the electronic commerce. In order to understand how the company will benefit from the ecommerce, it is vital to be able to explain the importance that it brings as far as the business scenario is concerned. JLR has been in the market for a longer period, and this has been a major boost to its production and marketing departments. It is also important that we clearly understand the cost effectiveness and time saving that it has brought to most of the related businesses (Aka?li, 2005). Electronic commerce can be defined from four major perspectives; communication, as a communication aspect, businesses are able to minimize communication costs and also increase the reliability and durability of the information

Product Design in Cyberspace Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Product Design in Cyberspace - Case Study Example Games are being made on subjects that include but are not limited to sex, rape, murder, robbery, fight, theft, insult and humiliation. This paper discusses whether or not video game designers should make games that are too violent for innocent minds. It has been observed that children who have a habit or liking for playing games spend a major portion of their day playing them. This can fundamentally be attributed to the task oriented nature of the games. A vast majority of games are about striving to achieve a certain goal. Having achieved which, the player is taken to the next level. Unless all the levels are cleared, the player would keep struggling hard. The complex plots require the children to put in their maximum effort. In an attempt to conceive the game strategy and achieve the goal, children tend to memorize the plot of the game and in their subconscious, they tend to approve all that is conveyed to them through the game. This can be estimated from the fact that the abbrevia ted language children use to communicate with one another in the virtual world reflects in the speech they deliver in the real world as well. However, this is only one aspect in which the children are affected that most of us are aware of simply because it is so obvious. There are more harsh realities that many of us do not know because they do not show up as obviously as language does.

AT&T Breach of Contract Suit Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

AT&T Breach of Contract Suit - Research Paper Example After Verizon AT & T mobility services is the second largest wireless data and voice carrier in the United States. American journal on wireless voice and data carriers, 2011, shows that the company gives its services to an estimated 95 million people nationwide. Summary of facts The plaintiff a customer of the defendants received an extra charge for his cell phone bill and from then on began to suspect the company was not doing things right. The plaintiff had subscribed for defendants offer low-end data plan. As per the plan he paid fifteen dollars per month for using 200 MB data for use in his i-Phone, which as the plaintiff claimed, he never surpassed. The plaintiff was however charged an extra 15 dollars in one of his monthly bills, for 23 MB data which was above his allotted 200. The plaintiff then started investigating the defendants. He hired an independent consulting firm to help him in the investigations. The investigations revealed that the defendant’s bill overstated systematically web server traffic by seven percent to fourteen percent for the i-Pad and i-Phone users. In some of the cases investigated it was found that that the web traffic could be even overstated by 300 percent. The consulting firm alleged to have taken a new i-phone and disabled all push notifications and the location services, did not configure to an email account and generally closed all the application. After ten days according to the defendant’s data plan the phone had allegedly used 2,292KB of data. The defendants denied the allegations. Proceedings and issue in the lower court The plaintiff on the same day he served the defendants with his law suit filed a motion for orders appointing as the interim co-lead counsel of the potential class (others affected by the overbilling). This was decided to be improper and premature and was denied. The court found the motion improper at that particular stage under the Federal Arbitration Act. This is because the defendants h ad already stated that he move the court seeking to compel the dispute to arbitration. In that case the plaintiff’s motion did not give the defendant time to determine whether the case should be taken to arbitration. The court founding was that the Federation Arbitration Act expressly precluded consideration of any matters of merits when arbitrarily had been raised. The defendant responded by filling a motion to compel arbitration of the dispute as per the terms of the arbitration provision in the wireless service agreement between the plaintiff and the defendant. The suits was filed in January was however stayed pending the Supreme Court’s ruling of in the conception case. After the ruling of the Supreme Court in the Conception Case, the complainant filed an amended complaint. The complaint included 5 causes of action. The main contentious issue at the hearing by the trial court was whether or not it was appropriate to compel the dispute between the parties to arbitra tion and stay of the case during arbitration. The defendant argued using the precedence of AT & T Mobility LLC v Conception and contended that the plaintiff could not in any way avoid arbitration. Lower court ruling and reasoning The trial court ruled in favour of the defendants and ordered that the matter be referred to arbitration. The plaintiffs appealed against this decision. In its ruling the court found that the contract governing the agreement between the defendant and the plaintiff contained an express provision referring any disputes between the

Room division operation managment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Room division operation managment - Assignment Example There has to be a safety policy and safety committee which can give the consultation about health and safety of the organization. The act also stress on free personal protective equipment. But the employees have to make sure that the protective equipments should not be misused. Everybody should take care of self and others responsibly 2. Â   Â   Â  To minimize risk the primary step is to identify all the factors exposed to risk. The room division management has to identify the group of guests or employees who are especially exposed to high risk. Outsiders such as contractor, visitor or just a normal person might also be at risk. That has to be considered as well. Then one has to focus on existing risk control system, even if it is not satisfactory that has to be put into practice. Then evaluation and recording of the probability of an accident occurrence has to be done. Even the worst case should also be taken into account. Stress should be given on situation where the danger is imminent. Then immediately measures and precautions should be taken. Additional risk mitigation controls should be taken in priority. 3. Â   Â   Â  A United Kingdom Act of Parliament, the Data protection act 1998 recognizes the right to privacy as a fundamental right. It is especially applicable in the case of processing personal data. The definition of personal data considers the information that can be used to recognize a living individual. Room division operation rather the hospitality sector itself has the access to a lot of personal data of all the guests. However the freedom of information act 2000 modifies this act. The information about anyone should not be passed to any third party and should be protected from any abuse. Another point is that the website or public information system must not ask for personal data. 4. Â   Â   Â  Maintenance and design is the key tool to increase guest satisfaction. Cleanliness is the first thing that the guests ask from the hotel rooms. The success

Cultural competence and its promotion in the education system Essay Example for Free

Cultural competence and its promotion in the education system Essay The demise of racial segregation in the 1960s saw the emergence of cultural diversity with colored and non colored students now being taught under the same roof. From then on, schools have seen an increasingly diverse mix of students, matters having been complicated further by globalization, which has resulted in more diverse cultures making the United States their country of choice. Diversity is good and must be appreciated; the only problem is that if not handled well it may have the potential of creating apathy between the different cultures making up the cultural mix so that instead of a system becoming a cultural melting pot, it becomes the crystallization chamber. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of culture in molding competent students. Cultural competence More often than not, competence is construed in its narrowest definition, which is mostly in reference to acquisition of the necessary skills for the performance of a job. For this paper however, competence will be in reference to both culture and knowledge. Ahlawat and Ahlawat (2006) found the influence of globalization to be so enormous to the extent that multicultural diversity is now amongst the key ingredients for students aspiring for a global career. An equally important finding is by Thomas (2006), who emphasized the importance of cultural intelligence in the business environment. The role of culture within the organizations is captured by Berrell and Gloet (1999), who did a study on influence of culture in organizational culture and found it significant. The study implies that for one to blend seamlessly in to an organization there must be a level of cultural competence because there seems to be a thin line between the culture within and without the organization. For instance, according to the study, an organization within Malaysia will most likely have a culture similar to that of Malaysian people. If one has problems adapting to the Malaysian culture then the person’s work output may be greatly limited. The role of the education system in such a scenario will be to create a culturally competent global citizen. It cannot of course be expected that students will be trained to adapt to certain cultures only, instead, skills to adapt to diverse cultures will be imparted. Such a skill is given by Arizaga, Waldo and Castellanos (2005), who found that teachers who participated in multicultural enhancement program showed increase cultural competence in the form of listening and expressive skills. Evidently, these are adaptive skills that once acquired may be applied in any cultural setting. Educator’s role in promoting cultural competence The design of the education system should ensure that it produces tolerant people capable of adapting to any cultures. One of the ways given by Arizaga et al (2005) is by having multicultural enhancement programs to promote listening and expressive skills. Pope and Mueller (2005) also emphasize the need to integrate diversity issues in designing education programs. This can perhaps be described as the cornerstone of achieving cultural competence because if its importance can be taken in to account in the training of educators then eventually the educators that will end up in the field preparing the students will know what it entails to be culturally competent, and will thereafter pass on the skill. Pope, Mueller and Reynolds (2009) appear to agree with the importance of having culturally competent educators when it pays tribute to student affairs professionals for the increased number of multicultural scholarships in the last three decades. The emphasis should therefore be on getting culturally competent educators on board the educational system if substantial results are to be expected. . Further to that, the authors are also urging the educators not to simply embrace diversity; they should actually seek it proactively. In addition to promoting cultural competence in as far as interacting with people from other ethnic, racial and national cultures, the education system should promote tolerance to homosexuals. This is according to Liang and Alimo (2005), who suggested that the education system could promote a more positive attitude of heterosexual students towards homosexual students by encouraging interaction between the two groups, something the study found to increase tolerance between the two groups. An equally important aspect of attitude development in the education system is the acquisition of positive views of self worth and meaningfulness Coll and Zalaquet (2007). Its importance in promoting cultural competence may not be obvious, but it is not hard to imagine how a person with a feeling of high self worth and meaning will find it rational to respect other people’s rights. A challenge to achieving cultural diversity is presented by Salazar (2005) who cites challenges faced by counsellors of color. Counselors of color according to the research are faced with prejudices in their interactions with white middle class students. Sadly, this may be an in built mentality, which may take some time to get rid of but fortunately, cultural competence presents one of the remedies to this inappropriate attitude. Implications of the findings Most people spend over two decades in school, meaning that the education system plays a big role in shaping the national psyche. Among other functions, Gay (2009) says that education plays an important role bringing up constructive students. The element of constructiveness goes beyond cultural competence and ropes in other areas such as raw knowledge and social skills. In fact, according to the article the education system may play role in promoting democracy. The upshot of all this is that an educator must realize that the challenges and objectives of the education system are dynamic and for one to remain relevant, it is important to continuously adapt to the changes. For instance, a few years ago it would have been unthinkable that the education system would want to promote tolerance towards homosexuals; these were outcasts for whom there was little concern. However, the reality of the output focused employment present today has ensured increased tolerance to such people and thus the need for a change in approach. An educator will be differentiated from any other knowledgeable person from their ability to produce all rounded graduates. Some of the important traits to be considered include cultural competence and tolerance. For example, if the task is to teach students mathematics without considerations to the other aspects then that can even be done by anybody with the basic knowledge needed to teach the particular subject. The professional educator must be easy to differentiate from other people possessing the same level of knowledge, and one of the hallmarks of this is the ability to produce culturally competent students among other things. Conclusion From the study, cultural competence has proven to be a very important subject area for one’s development. Most people spend over two decades in school, meaning that they will acquire some of their lifelong traits there. Global occupational mobility is on the rise and one of the key ingredients to it is cultural competence. People with less of it will have a very hard time adapting to the different work environments that will be made available by the increased mobility. One’s work output is not a function of skills competence only; it must also include the person’s ability to work with people, which means adopting the narrow minded definition of education will produce half baked students. References Ahlawat, S. , Ahlawat, S. (2006, ). Competing in the Global Knowledge Economy: Implications for Business Education.. Journal of American Academy of Business, 8(1), 101-105. Arizaga, M. B. , Waldo, M. , Castellanos, L. (2005). Multicultural Sensitivity and Interpersonal Skills Training for Preservice Teachers. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, 44(2), 198-202. Berrell, M. , Gloet, M. (1999). Reflections on the cultural dimensions of educational administration. EAF Journal, 13(2), 10. Coll, J. , Zalaquet, C. (2007). The Relationship of Worldviewsof Advisors and Students and satisfaction with advising: A Case of Homogenous. Journal of College Student Retention, 9(3), 273-281. Gay, G. (2009). Similar Concerns, Different Perspectives of Social Studies and Multicultural Education. Social Studies Review, 48(1), 25-27. Liang, C. , Alimo, C. (2005). The Impact of White Heterosexual Students’ Interactions on Attitudes Toward Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of College Student Development, 46(3), 237-250. Pope, R. , Mueller, J. (2005). Faculty and Curriculum: Examing Multicultural Competence and Inclusion. Journal of College Student Development, 46(6), 679-688. Pope, R. , Mueller, J. , Reynolds, A. (2009). Looking Back and Moving Forward: Future Directions for Diversity Research in Student Affairs. Journal of College Student Development, 50(6), 640-659 Salazar, C. (2005). Outsiders in a White, Middle-Class System: Counselor Educators of Color on Academe. Jounral of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, 44(2), 240-252. Thomas, D. (2006). Domain and Development of Cultural Intelligence: The Importance of Mindfulness. Group Organization Management, 31(1), 78-99.

Feasibility Research Plan for Associated British Foods

Feasibility Research Plan for Associated British Foods Top management of AB Mauri, a business unit of Associated British Foods, is planning to establish bakers yeast and bakery ingredients manufacturing plant in Bangladesh. Before investing in Bangladesh, the company needs a feasibility report. This outline report will introduce the aim and objectives of the main feasibility research. The paper will also define the research strategy including requirement of data, data collection methods and methods of analysing data for achieving the research objectives. The report also includes, how to analyse collected data to achieve the objectives and how to take decisions based on the findings of the research. 1. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . After the rebirth of industrial globalisation back in 1980s, Asian, African and Latin American least developed countries became hotspots for relocating labour intensive industries by developed economies. The natural reason was enormous availability of cheap labours in those countries (Bradford 1925). Foreign direct investment in agriculture and the food industry, according to FAO (2004) as cited by Pingali (2010) grew significantly in Latin America and in Asia between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. In Asia, FDI in the food industry nearly tripled, from $750 million to $2.1 billion during the last three decades and during the same period food industry investment grew exponentially in Latin America, from around $200 million to $3.3 billion (Pingali, 2010). The major Asian investment destinations were China, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India. However, countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam, Nepal and Maldives were ignored by the international investors. Especially B angladesh despite having one of the biggest population bases and cheapest labour forces could not attract FDI in food or other sectors due to political instability, severe power shortage and bureaucratic complexities. Nevertheless, recent development in the Bangladeshi economy has lifted the international confidence and the economy has become wide open for foreign direct investments. The objective of this paper is to outline a research plan to identify the feasibility of establishing a factory of AB Mauri business unit which will produce bakers yeast and bakery ingredients. 2. Aim and Objectives of the Feasibility Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The aim of the research is to identify whether establishing an AB Mauri plant in Bangladesh for producing bakers yeast and bakery ingredients is a feasible option for Associated British Foods Plc. To reach its aim the research team would require achieving the following objectives Explore current political and economic situation of Bangladesh and identify sustainability of political and economic stability; Investigate the supplies market to determine availability and cost of raw materials, labour and power and compare cost of production with current average cost of AB Mauri plants; Explore the local financial system and determine the impact of interest rate, inflation and exchange rate on future cash flow; Estimate and analyse the financial feasibility of the project considering five, ten and fifteen years of investment duration. 3. Research Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The findings of the research, in sequence of its objectives, should answer the following questions: How stable is political situation in Bangladesh for international businesses? What would be the cost of land, labour, materials and energy in Bangladesh? What government benefits are available for FDIs? What impact the economic variables can put on the business profitability? Is the project financially viable in various investment horizons? By answering all these questions, the research will be able to answer the main research question: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Is it feasible to establish AB Mauris manufacturing plant in Bangladesh?à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? 4. Critical Literature Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The research team would require four areas of knowledge to conduct this research. First of all, the team must have very good idea of agricultural economics. Johnson (n.d.) defined agricultural economics the study of allocation and utilization of resources and commodities by farming. Johnson in his contributory article Encyclopaedia Britannica raised concern about falling agricultural outputs in developing economies and pointed factors like price and income instability, government intervention and some other issues as main constraints of agricultural industry. Pingali and Evenson (2010) in their à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Handbook of Agricultural Economics discussed a wide range of issues including production and supply, agricultural risk management, innovation and research in agri-business, marketing and distribution, storage and price stabilisation of agricultural products and many other issues worthy to be reviewed by the researchers before starting the research work. Secondly, the researchers must have very good understanding of Associated British Foods business philosophy, return expectation, human resource policy and strategic issues. ABFs corporate website and annual reports can be very good source of these information. The company was first established in 1935 and took the name Associated British Food in 1960 and became a public limited corporation 1982. ABFs business is diversified into five segments: sugar, agriculture, retail, grocery and ingredients. The group has at least fifteen companies under its umbrella. AB Mauri, the business unit which this research is concerned about, produces yeast and bakery ingredients and has more than 40 plants in 28 countries. AB Mauris vision is to be the premier bakery solutions business around the world. According to the companys financial statements its average ROE is around 10%. The researchers must know more about companys return expectations, attitude toward risk and other preferences to evaluate the potentiality of doing business in Bangladesh. ABFs corporate website is an excellent information house and almost all information required to conduct this research is available there. Thirdly, the research would require gathering extensive information on Bangladeshi politics, society, economy and agricultural industry. Gathering political information for decision making is very tough. Bangladesh has a long history of political unrest. The countrys politics is led by two major parties Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Awami League. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Bangladesh Business Forecast Reportà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? publishd by Business Monitor International can be used to have a deeper insight of political and economic trends. The report would also provide PESTEL and SWOT analysis of Bangladesh which would very useful information for this research. Publications of countrys central bank named Bangladesh Bank would be very useful to understand the economic paradigm of nation. On the economic data section of the banks website information of exchange, inflation and interest rate, money supply and national income are available. Average exchange rate of Taka against Pound Sterling is around B DT 120 and against dollar is BDT 70. Average interest rate is 5% and average annual inflation rate is around 8% to 10%. More valuable information about the economy is available in the banks website. To gather information on agricultural industry of Bangladesh website of Ministry of Agriculture can be very useful. According to the ministrys website total cultivable land in Bangladeshis is 8.44 million hectare and net cropped area is 7.8 million hectare. Contribution of agricultural sector to GDP is 13.44% and total manpower in agriculture is above 60%. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Handbook of Agricultural Statistics published by agricultural ministry can be a handful source of information to the researchers. Finally, the researchers must have very good idea of research, designing research and research methodology. Marczyk et al. (2005) termed research as cornerstone of scientific process which has the purpose to answer questions and acquire knowledge. According the authors of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Essential of Research Design and Methodologyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, researches are used for describing, explaining, and predicting. Research can be of various types descriptive or analytical, applied or fundamental, quantitative or qualitative and conceptual or empirical. Descriptive researches gather and present data to portray something that exists. On the other hand, analytical research collect and analyse data critically evaluate situation. Applied research tries to find out a solution for a specific problem and fundamental research builds up generalized theories. Quantitative analysis works with numeric data and qualitative research is concerned with qualitative phenomenon. The feasibility research so far is a mixture of descriptive, analytical and quantitative research. The researchers should also have capacity of evaluating financial information to determine financial viability of projects. 5. Research Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Like all other researches, the feasibility research would collect data from various sources and apply methods to convert data to information that answers the research questions. The overall research strategy can be summarised as following: Research Objectives Relevant Data Requirement Data Type and Probable Sources Research Method and Specific Techniques 1. Explore current political and economic situation in Bangladesh and identify sustainability of political economic stability Major political parties their philosophy; Political future; Interest rate, inflation rate, exchange rate etc. Secondary; Bangladesh Business Forecast Report published by Business Monitor International; Publications of Bangladesh Bank Descriptive- Qualitative analysis on political data; Trend/Time Series Analysis on economic variables 2. Investigate the supplies market to determine availability and cost of raw materials, labour and power compare cost of production with current average cost of AB Mauri plants Land area, productivity, labour availability and cost, materials availability and cost, power availability and cost; Average Cost of AB Mauri Plants Worldwide Secondary; Handbook of Agricultural Statistics and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics Publications; AB Mauris costing reports Descriptive and Quantitative Analysis (Need to identify cost trend and future availability of land, labour and power; Comparison of new data and average cost 3. Explore the local financial system and determine the impact of interest rate, inflation and exchange rate on future cash flow Banking system, financial management practices and findings of data analysis for 1st objective; Secondary; Publications of Bangladesh Bank and Analysis of this research Descriptive Quantitative 4. Estimate and analyse the financial feasibility of the project considering five, ten and fifteen years of investment duration Financial projects based on information gathered and analysed in previous sections Secondary, findings of this research Quantitative- Financial Feasibility Analysis Table 1: Research Strategy 6. Research Data, Methodologies, Techniques and Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Table-1 shows that the research will pursue varieties of methods to achieve different objectives. In following sections a brief explanation of research methodologies are given. (a) Describing Political-Economic Scenario and Estimating Sustainability First part of the analysis would be descriptive in nature. Data on political and economical information would be collected from secondary source and presented in meaningful way so that the overall scenarios can be analysed qualitatively. Also data collected on economic information would be placed in a statistical model to estimate future economic trend and sustainability of economic well being of the country. (b) Estimating Supply Cost and Availability The research would require knowing the cost of producing bakery yeast and ingredients in Bangladesh. To get information on cost of supplies data can either be collected form primary or secondary source. Labour market information can also be found from secondary sources stated above. The research methodology to achieve this objective would be partly descriptive and partly quantitative. Descriptive section would identify average cost of supplies and current market availability. The quantitative section will predict the trend in cost and compare it with average cost of other AB Mauri factories. (c) Measuring Impact of Economic Variables on AB Mauris Predicted Cash Flow The economic variables that might influence the estimated manufacturing cost in Bangladeshi plant are exchange rate, inflation rate and probably the interest rate. This part of the research, would require information collected and analysed on economic variables and cost of supplies. First section would be descriptive on the banking and financial system of Bangladesh. Second section of this part would be completely quantitative: associating the findings of future economic trend and predicted cost estimates. (d) Estimate the Financial Feasibility of the New Project The final section of the study would determine the estimated production volume, cost and expected price. The estimated financial information then would be used to calculate projects Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return and Project Payback Period. The research methodology would be quantitative and would require complex financial analysis. (e) Formulating Decision: Accepting or Rejecting FDI in Bangladesh After conducting all required analysis, the would finally formulate a decision about the feasibility of establishing an AB Mauri plant in Bangladesh using the following decision tool Researched Area Research Finding Points Political Stability Stable/Not Stable 2/0 Economic Stability Stable/Not Stable 3/0 Agricultural Industry Condition Favorable/Unfavorable 5/0 Supply Cost Below Average/Average/Above Average 5/0/-5 Impact of Economic Variable on Supply Cost Favourable/Unfavourable 5/0 Financial Feasibility (IRR) Negative/Less than 10%/More Than 10% -10/0/10 Total Score Range -15 to 30 A negative score would automatically reject the investment meaning that establishing an AB Mauri plant in Bangladeshis is not a feasible option. A score between 0 and 10 would mean the investment is considerable. Finally, score above 10 would mean establishing manufacturing plant in Bangladesh is highly feasible. 7. Research Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The research project would benefit ABF on few specific areas. The first benefit is to the ABFs strategic management as the company would be aware about the feasibility of investing in agriculture of Bangladesh. The research report can also benefit ABF if it is planning for investing in other sector in Bangladesh. Finally, the research project model can be used for feasibility analysis for other projects even in other countries. 8. Ethical Issues. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The research is not of experimental nature. Because of being an initial feasibility research it will collect questionnaire based data. All data will be acquired from secondary sources. Therefore it seems that there are no ethical issues involved with this research project. 9. Research Limitations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The research is however limited in few areas. These limitations are summarised as below The research is using only secondary data; data would be collected from various sources that might be limited in quality; The research puts more weight on cost and financial feasibility information rather than political and social issues; For decision making, the research will weight the findings of financial viability analysis which is subject to risk; No techniques of risk management would be applied in predicting, forecasting and evaluating information gathered for this project.

The Rise of Universal Liberal Values? Essays -- Essays Papers

The Rise of Universal Liberal Values? Democracy is one thing, and constitutional liberalism quite another. In the inexorable march of modernity, Fareed Zakaria argues in The Rise of Illiberal Democracy, the message of constitutional liberalism has gotten lost in the clamor for democracy. This is problematic because, without a strong foundation of pluralism and constitutional liberalism, the apparatus of democracy can easily be hijacked by forces that hardly espouse the liberal values that have, in the Western mind, become transparently conflated with democracy. The fact that liberal constitutional democracy has become the unmarked case for Western pundits serves and most likely will continue to serve, Zakaria points out, as a legitimizing shroud around illiberal democracies' practices. What is problematic is Zakaria's notion of legitimacy: who are we to say whether, to the extent that we find an illiberal democratic regime's actions questionable or worse, that regime is illegitimate? Such pronouncements not only fly in t he face of the democratic orthodoxy, but also dangerously destabilize the props of national sovereignty that comprise the underpinning of the current international system. Democracy, broadly defined, is a mechanism of governance, the participation of a people in the selection of its rulers. Constitutional liberalism, on the other hand, as sketched by thinkers from the Enlightenment onward, is a philosophy of governance, granting the governed a set of inalienable personal freedoms, in addition to ensuring the rule of law and the separation of powers (132). These are quite clearly not the same thing, although they have been bedfellows for some time in the governments of western Europe and North America. Zakari... ...notions of basic liberal rights and freedoms upon other cultures that do not, by necessity, share them all. He takes the almost-insulting stance that people that choose an illiberal government do not know what is good for them, when they may in fact have quite tenable reasons to do so. To further suggest that America and company aim to spread these uniquely Western concepts is further problematic in that to do so could destabilize these countries, or even turn them against the West, surely not a desirable outcome. It is important to recognize that culture plays an important role in the choices people make, including their choice of government. And just as some cultures find nothing wrong with eating termites or belching in public, so too are they entitled to find no problem with illiberality to an extent. As long as they choose it voluntarily, it is their own choice.

A Clean Well-Lighted Place :: A Clean Well-Lighted Place Essays

A Clean Well-Lighted Place Today in class we talked about plot in relation to "A & P" by John Updike. I had always thought of plot as just being the sequence of events, but after our reading assignment I realize that there is much more to it. I’d never thought of looking for plot in things like patterns. My reaction to "A & P" is mixed because I disagree with the main character being a hero (as Updike intended). While reading the story I thought that the girls who came into the store were merely looking for attention. I feel this way because the girls were prancing around in their bathing suits, which was probably a big deal in 1961, and the fact that ‘Queenie’ kept her money between her breasts shows that she was obviously trying to provoke a reaction. Other than the fact that one of the girls blushed when asked to leave I don’t think they were embarrassed and I don’t think the main character was trying to be particularly heroic. I gathered from all the sexual description tha t he was only interested in the girls physically. I also think that he just hated his job at the A & P because it was boring, since he always refers to the customers as a type of farm animal, and was just looking for an excuse to quit. What better excuse to quit than one that might make him look good to some cute girls? He would be through with his boring job and might score a date. We also talked about point of new in relation to "Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty today. I’ve never read anything where I really didn’t trust the narrator like in this story. I though the story was confusing because I could never figure out who was telling the truth. Sister seemed to have a very slanted view on things and thought that everyone was ‘out to get her’. Since the story was told from her (an unreliable narrator) point of view it gave me a feeling of turmoil like I have when I experience an argument in my own home. In that way Welty achieved her goal of making the reader feel involved in the story. I guess that Welty explained why Sister lives at the P.O., but I don’t understand why she thought anyone would care. A Clean Well-Lighted Place :: A Clean Well-Lighted Place Essays A Clean Well-Lighted Place Today in class we talked about plot in relation to "A & P" by John Updike. I had always thought of plot as just being the sequence of events, but after our reading assignment I realize that there is much more to it. I’d never thought of looking for plot in things like patterns. My reaction to "A & P" is mixed because I disagree with the main character being a hero (as Updike intended). While reading the story I thought that the girls who came into the store were merely looking for attention. I feel this way because the girls were prancing around in their bathing suits, which was probably a big deal in 1961, and the fact that ‘Queenie’ kept her money between her breasts shows that she was obviously trying to provoke a reaction. Other than the fact that one of the girls blushed when asked to leave I don’t think they were embarrassed and I don’t think the main character was trying to be particularly heroic. I gathered from all the sexual description tha t he was only interested in the girls physically. I also think that he just hated his job at the A & P because it was boring, since he always refers to the customers as a type of farm animal, and was just looking for an excuse to quit. What better excuse to quit than one that might make him look good to some cute girls? He would be through with his boring job and might score a date. We also talked about point of new in relation to "Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty today. I’ve never read anything where I really didn’t trust the narrator like in this story. I though the story was confusing because I could never figure out who was telling the truth. Sister seemed to have a very slanted view on things and thought that everyone was ‘out to get her’. Since the story was told from her (an unreliable narrator) point of view it gave me a feeling of turmoil like I have when I experience an argument in my own home. In that way Welty achieved her goal of making the reader feel involved in the story. I guess that Welty explained why Sister lives at the P.O., but I don’t understand why she thought anyone would care.

Competency of student nurses in the operating room Essay

LEGEND: 4-Competent (Student performs consistently in an effective and efficient manner) 3-Progress Acceptable (performance is usually effective and efficient but not always) 2-Needs Improvement (progress in performance is too slow to judge satisfactorily; task performance is not done properly for majority of the time0 1-Progress Unacceptable (no progress in performance has been demonstrated and/ or performance is consistently ineffective and inefficient) CORE COMPETENCY SCORE REMARKS A. safe and quality nursing care 1. utilizes the nursing process in the care of OR client a. Obtains comprehensive client’s information by checking complete accomplishment of the preoperative checklist/ clients chart b. Identifies priority needs of the client at the Operating Room c. Provides needed nursing interventions based on identified needs d. Monitors client’s responses to surgery 2. Promotes safety and comfort of patients inside the OR a. Transports client safely from the unit to OR b. Transfer client safely from the stretcher to OR bed, OR bed to stretcher, stretcher to RR bed (e.g. use of side rails) c. Places properly grounding pad under the patient for electro-surgical equipment d. Monitor vital signs e. Provides physical comfort utilizing comfort devices/ techniques f. Provides needed blankets and sheets to prevent hypothermia and provide privacy g. Assist in proper and safe positioning of clients in preparation for surgery h. Observes the principles of strict surgical aseptic techniques within the work area at all times i. Observes universal precautions in handling body fluids 3. Performs the functions of the scrub nurse a. Drapes the operative field correctly b. Performs surgical scrub correctly c. Dons surgical gowns and gloves correctly d. Serves gowns, gloves and drapes aseptically e. Prepared surgical instruments, sponges, sutures and other supplies in functional agreement f. Hands instruments, sponges, sutures and other materials according to surgeon’s preference g. Performs surgical count accurately h. Performs after care of the surgical instruments 4. Performs the functions of the circulating nurse a. Prepared the surgical table and all needed equipment and supplies for surgery b. Assist the anesthesiologist in the induction of anesthesia c. Performs the surgical skin preparation of the client d. Checks with the scrub nurse the completeness of surgical sponges, needles and instruments e. Anticipates the needs of the surgical team f. Ensures intactness and functionality of all contraptions ( e.g. IVF; BT; IFC; NGT) g. Helps in the after care of all equipment and the OR as a whole h. Hand additional instruments and supplies aseptically as needed i. Check sheet integrity and sterility of OR packs i.1. Sets up the OR Room needed equipment i.2. Receives client for surgery/ endorses client post-operatively i.3. Assists in skin preparation and draping of client 5. Administer medications and other health therapeutics safely 6. Executes legal orders of the surgeon/ anesthesiologist accurately and timely 7. Evaluates patient’s response to interventions 8. Monitors patients progress during surgery and immediate post-op phase B. Management of resources and environment 1. Ensures availability, completeness and functionality of OR equipments 2. Observes protocols in unrestricted, semi-restricted and restricted areas in the OR 3. Performs proper disinfection and sterilization protocols 4. Observes proper disposal of hazardous and non hazardous wastes. Observes proper handling and up keeping of OR resources 5. Observes OR policies, procedures and protocols on infection control 6. Conducts inventory of OR resources 7. Awareness of the institutional evacuation and location plan both for fire, earthquake and other major emergencies. C. Health Education 1. Implements appropriate health education activities to client based on needs assessment of the intra-operative client 2. Reinforces pre-operative health teachings to client D. Legal Responsibility 1. Adheres to legal and institutional protocols regarding informed consent and other legal documents E. Ethico- Moral Responsibility 1. Respects the rights of the OR client 2. Accepts responsibility and accountability for own decision and actions as an OR nurse 3. Maintains privacy and confidentiality of client’s information 4. Adheres to the Code of Ethics for Nurses F. Personal and Professional Development 1. Performs OR functions and according to professional standards 2. Possesses positive attitude towards learning surgical and OR-related knowledge and skills G. Quality Improvement 1. Reports significant actual or potential observations regarding the surgical client 2. Reports positive or negative variances at the OR 3. Identifies and reports variances in sterility and other OR activities H. Research 1. Disseminates results of OR-related research findings to clinical group and other members of the OR team as appropriate I. Records Management 1. Maintain legible, accurate and updated documentation of patient care in the chart/ and OR dorms 2. Submits timely, complete an accurate surgical slips and Or write-ups for cases handled J. Communication 1. Utilizes therapeutic communication skills with patients, significant others and members of the health team 2. Establishes professional relationships with members of the surgical/ health team 3. Utilizes proper channel of communication 4. Observes complete and accurate endorsement procedures 5. Uses appropriate information mechanism to facilitate communication inside the OR and with other departments in the hospital K. Collaboration and Teamwork 1. Collaborates plan of care with other members of the health team

Human’s Wisdom from Environment Essay

The relationship between the Bangal tiger Richard parker and Pi Patel is the main focus in the novel ‘Life of Pi’.Their relationship are continually changing and it is the struggle for survival makes them need to change.A long time ago,human are weaker than animal as they don’t have strong body as animal .They do not have the sharp claws as Richard Parker does to protect themselves.However,as time going on ,human starts to dominate the earth by creating their own technology and weapon to protect themselves.The change of the relationship between Pi and Richard Parker can be seen as how human developed their skill from learning skill from the animals. In the beginning of the surivial adventure,Richard Parker is always the one who dominate the boat ,he can walk wherever he likes and to scare Pi to get off the boat because he has a much stronger power than Pi has. However,at the end,Pi is actually the one who takes control over Richard Parker and force Richard to follow his command.He does it by using the method which our ancestors used before in history.He used his weapon for attack,turtle shells for defence and his whistles for calling people to come rescue.This can shows human’s wisdom over the animal. The other thing which interested me in this novel is how Pi can adapt the new environment so quickly,he losts a lot of thing that we think we need to use in our daily life,he doesn’t have a phone,map or anything to guide him the direction or call for help.However,he reverted to the animals ways which his ancestors did before.When he arrived on the island , he started to analyze the environment and realize that the water is acidic there and it is dangerous for him to stay there . Also ,he marked down all the animal ‘s rountine.He learned some habits from Richard Parker and he did the same thing as Richard does.He adapt to become something Richard can used to live with.This remind me one extrodinary person in history which is Darwin.Charles Robert Darwin is an English naturalist.He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors.The thing amaze me is Darwin did the same thing as Pi does,both of them do journal to record down what they experience and learned.When we looked back to the beginning of the novel, the zebra couldn’t adapt because it was injured ,and become the first animal to dead . Then the orangutan couldn’t adapt to the foreign environment so he was eaten by the hyena.Lastly the hyena couldn’t adapt to the new threat ,which is the tiger,therefore it get killed by Richard.However, for Pi ,he worked in zoo before so he know some of the animals behavior and that’s why he can prepare the protection for himselves first.This show s human can be adaptable to the nature as if they have enough knowledge of the environment and animal ,and the knowledge come from the analyze towards animal’s habit,that’s what make huaman on top of the food chain. Of course,it is not necessary for us to go to an island and learned all those skills because we can learn those skill from our biology book now.We should really thankful for those people who does the research before.Throughout this novel,the author Yann Martel shows us what do we need to adapt through conflict,which can also apply to our life.When we have difficulty towards our life,we should not feel panic,instead ,we should keep calm and analyze the problem we have in order to find out the solution for it.

INTB

A consumer's utility function is = XSL/eye/4, where x is the quantity of good x consumed and y is the quantity of good y consumed. The prices of the two goods are pix and pay, and the marginal utilities of the goods are Mix = (1 /4)x-3/eye/4 and MI-Jay = (3/4)xx/ay-1 ‘4. A) Derive the consumers demand for good x. B) Discuss the concept of elasticity, with reference to the demand you derived in (a), and contrasting linear and constant elasticity demands. 4. You have been asked to analyze the market for steel.From public sources, you are able to find that last years price for steel was $20 per ton. At this price, 100 million tons were sold on the world market. From trade association data, you are able to obtain estimates for the own price elasticity of demand and supply on the world market as 0. 5 for supply and -0. 25 for demand, respectively. Suppose you know that demand and supply equations in the market are linear. Solve for the equations of demand and supply in this market. INTO 334 By arrival luxuries (L).The consumer's tastes are represented by the utility function IS=FL. Food 2. Let income be I = 80, Pix=4, Pay= 1, and utility U = xx (with marginal utility MIX = y and MI-Jay = x). B) Now, let the price of x fall to 1 and the income fall to 50. Otherwise, there is no utility function is IS(x,y) = XSL /eye/4, where x is the quantity of good x consumed and y the marginal utilities of the goods are MIX = (1 /4)x-3/eye/4 and MI-Jay = (3/4)xx/ay-114. A) Derive the consumer's demand for good x. Able to find that last year's price for steel was $20 per ton. At this price, 100 million

Hbs Case “Marriott Corporation: the Cost of Capital”

Marriott Corporation: Questions for HBS case â€Å"Marriott Corporation: The cost of capital† 1)Are the four components of Marriott's financial strategy consistent with its growth objective? In my opinion, the four components of Marriott's financial strategy are consistent with its growth objective. As we find in the case, the four components of Marriott's financial strategy: Manage rather than own hotel assets, Invest in projects that increase shareholder value, Optimize the use of debt in the capital structure, and Repurchase undervalued shares; are aligned with the growth objective.Marriott wants to remain a premier growth company. This means aggressively developing appropriate opportunities within our chosen lines of business—lodging, contract services, and related businesses. In each of these areas, their goal is to be the preferred employer, the preferred provider, and the most profitable company. 2)How does Marriott use its estimate of its cost of capital? Does t his make sense? In the case is stated that Marriott required three inputs to determine the opportunity cost of capital: debt capacity, debt cost, and equity cost consistent with the amount of debt.The cost of capital varied across the three divisions because all three of the cost-of-capital inputs could differ for each division. This is the most logical approach due to the fact that the projects related to a particular division should be evaluated using the division’s WACC rather than the corporation’s WACC. 3)What is the Weighted Average Cost of Capital for Marriott Corporation? In order to calculate the WACC for Marriott’s Corporation I’m going to use the following formulas: 1. Weighted Average Cost of Capital: 2. Levered Beta: Marriott’s structure: D= 60% E=40% Marriott’s corporate tax:Tc= 175. 9 / 398. 9 Tc=0. 441 Marriott’s Pre-tax cost of debt: Debt rate premium above government= 1. 30% U. S. Government Securities Interest Rates : Maturity 30 years = 8. 95% Kd = 0. 0895 + 0. 013 Kd= 0. 1025 Marriott’s after tax cost of equity: Leverag. TcAsset BetaEq. Beta MARRIOTT 41%0. 4410. 7991. 11 MARRIOTT 60%0. 4410. 7991. 47 Ke = rf + Beta * (MRP) Rf=8. 95%(U. S. Government Securities Interest Rate) MRP=7. 43%(Exhibit 5) Ke = 8. 95% + 1. 47 * ( 7. 43%) Ke=0. 20 WACC = (1 – 0. 44) * 0. 1025 * 60% + 0. 2 * 40% WACC=0. 1139 The Weighted Average Cost of Capital for Marriott Corporation is 11. 9% a)What risk free rate and risk premium did you use to calculate the cost of equity? Risk free rate †¢30 years Maturity U. S. Government Interest Rate (8. 95%) Risk Premium †¢Spread between S 500 Composite returns and long-term U. S. government bond returns between 1926-87 (7. 43%) b)How did you measure Marriott's cost of debt? I calculated Marriott's cost of debt adding Marriott’s debt rate premium above government (1. 30%) to the 30 years Maturity U. S. Government Interest Rates (8. 95%). 4)What ty pe of investments would you value using Marriott's WACC?I will use Marriott’s WACC to evaluate projects that do not refer to a single division. This can be projects that add are related to the whole company and affect each division. In example, a project related with branding that will increase Marriott overall reputation and value 5)If Marriott used a single corporate hurdle rate for evaluating investment opportunities in each of its lines of business, what would happen to the company overtime? Using a single corporate hurdle rate for evaluating investment opportunities in each of its lines of business will lead to accept bad projects and reject profitable projects.In the case that the IRR of the return was slightly above Marriott WACC you would accept the division’s project although you might be operating bellow the division’s WACC and loosing money. 6)What is the cost of capital for the lodging and restaurant divisions of Marriott? In order to calculate the c ost of capital for the lodging and restaurant divisions I will use the same formulas than in question 3. Hotels ReturnEq. BetaLeverageRevenuesAsset Beta HILTON HOTELS CORPORATION13. 30. 7614%0. 770. 697 HOLIDAY CORPORATION28. 81. 3579%1. 660. 435 LA QUINTA MOTOR INNS-6. 40. 8969%0. 170. 397 RAMADA INNS, INC. 11. 71. 3665%0. 50. 667 Average0. 549 Restaurants ReturnEq. BetaLeverageRevenuesAsset Beta CHURCH’S FRIED CHICKEN-3. 21. 454%0. 391. 417 COLLINS FOODS INTERNATIONAL20. 31. 4510%0. 571. 365 FRISCH’S RESTAURANTS56. 90. 576%0. 140. 550 LUBY’S CAFETERIAS (Operates cafeterias. ) 15. 10. 761%0. 230. 756 McDONALD’S22. 50. 9423%4. 890. 805 WENDY’S INTERNA TIONAL4. 61. 3221%1. 051. 149 Average1. 007 LodgingRestaurant D/V50. 0%75. 0% E/V50. 0%25. 0% Tc44%44% Kd10. 05%8. 70% Rf8. 95%6. 90% Rprem1. 10%1. 80% Ke15. 31%29. 74% Eq. Beta0. 8562. 696 Asset Beta0. 5491. 007 Rf8. 95%6. 90% EMRP7. 43%8. 47% Sales % from total41. 00%13. 00% WACC10. 6%11. 08% a)What risk-free rate and risk premium did you use in calculating the cost of equity for each division? Why did you choose these numbers? Risk free rate Lodging division †¢30 years Maturity U. S. Government Interest Rate (8. 95%) †¢Is a long-term investment Risk Premium Lodging division †¢Spread between S&P 500 Composite returns and long-term U. S. government bond returns between 1926-87 (7. 43%) †¢Is a long term investment Risk free rate Restaurants’ division †¢1 year Maturity U. S. Government Interest Rate (6. 90%) †¢Is a short-term investment, and the next available option is a 10 years rate which is too long.Risk Premium Restaurants’ division †¢Spread between S&P 500 Composite returns and short-term U. S. Treasury bill returns: between 1926-87 (8. 47%) †¢Is a short-term investment, and I used a 1 year Maturity U. S. Government Interest Rate as the risk free rate. b)How did you measure the cost of debt for each division? Should the debt cost differ across divisions? Why? I calculated each division’s cost of debt adding the division’s debt rate premium above government to the U. S. Government Interest Rates that best represented the divisions behave. Risk free rate Lodging division 30 years Maturity U. S. Government Interest Rate (8. 95%) Risk free rate Restaurants’ division †¢1 year Maturity U. S. Government Interest Rate (6. 90%) The debt cost should differ across divisions because each one operate as independent business with different behavior. c)How did you measure the beta of each division? In order to measure the beta of each division, I got the average Asset Beta of the companies that where more similar to the division, and I leverage it with the capital structure of the particular division. 7)What is the cost of capital for Marriott's contract services division?How can you estimate its equity cost of capital without publicly traded comparable companies? In order to calculate t he cost of capital for the contract service division I will use most of the formulas I stated on question number three. Additionally, as we do not have data of similar companies that we can use to extract the contract service division’s Asset Beta, I will calculate the WACC for the contract service division using the following formula: Marriott’s Asset Beta = (Lodging Asset Beta * division’s % of total sales) + (Restaurants Asset Beta * division’s % of total sales) + (Contract services Asset Beta * division’s % of total sales)Cleaning the equation in function of the Contract services Asset Beta, you find the Contract services Asset Beta. MarriottLodgingRestaurantContract Services D/V60. 0%50. 0%75. 0%60. 0% E/V40. 0%50. 0%25. 0%40. 0% Tc44%44%44%44% Kd10. 25%10. 05%8. 70%8. 30% Rf8. 95%8. 95%6. 90%6. 90% Rprem1. 30%1. 10%1. 80%1. 40% Ke19. 87%15. 31%29. 74%21. 91% Eq. Beta1. 4700. 8562. 6961. 772 Asset Beta0. 7990. 5491. 0070. 964 Rf8. 95%8. 95%6. 90%6. 90% EMRP7. 43%7. 43%8. 47%8. 47% TA %100. 00%41. 00%13. 00%46. 00% WACC11. 39%10. 46%11. 08%11. 55% The contract service’s WACC is 11. 55%

Yes or No to Mandatory Vaccinations

Yes or No to Mandatory Vaccinations Should vaccinations be mandatory for children entering school? At the present time, all fifty states in the United States require children entering public school to be vaccinated. However, no federal vaccination laws exist (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Did you know? ). Many parents hold religious beliefs against vaccination. Forcing such parents to vaccinate their children would violate the First Amendment, which guarantees citizens the right to the free exercise of their religion.Others believe that common childhood vaccinations may cause rare, yet serious reactions. Proponents of mandatory vaccination argue that the risk of not being vaccinated far outweighs the small risk associated with vaccination. Preventable diseases like measles and mumps can cause permanent disability and death. In 1991, an outbreak of measles in an unvaccinated group of children in Philadelphia caused seven deaths (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Pro). Children infected with mumps can become permanently deaf.Although a very small number of deaths from the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine have been reported, the most common adverse reactions are minor soreness and or fever. Vaccines can eradicate disease and prevent serious illness and death. Mandatory vaccination has eliminated disease that once killed thousands of children, such as polio and smallpox. According to the researchers at the Pediatric Academic Society, childhood vaccinations in the United States prevent about 10. million cases of infectious illness and 33,000 deaths per year (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Did you know? ). They believe that most childhood vaccines are 90-99% effective in preventing disease (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Pro). When children who have been vaccinated do contract a disease, despite being vaccinated against it, they usually have milder symptoms with less serious complications than an un-vaccinated child who gets the same diseas e.Since some individuals who have been vaccinated may still get sick when exposed to infected individuals, 75%-94% of the population (depending on the disease) must be vaccinated to achieve â€Å"herd immunity† (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Pro). When herd immunity is achieved, the number of immunized individuals is high enough to prevent the spread of disease through the population. Even when diseases seem to no longer exist, outbreaks can still occur if children are not vaccinated.In Boulder, Colorado, fear over possible side effects of the whooping-cough (pertussis) vaccine led many parents to refuse vaccination for their children, causing Boulder to have the lowest school-wide vaccination rate in Colorado for whooping-cough, and one of the highest rates of whooping-cough in the United States as of 2002 (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Pro). However there are certainly concerns about vaccinations. According to a 2010 survey by the University of Michigan, 31% of parents believe that they should have the right to refuse mandated school entry vaccinations for their children (ProCon. rg, Children Vaccinations, Con). They believe that vaccines are often unnecessary in many cases where the threat of death from the disease is small. During the early nineteenth century, death from childhood diseases, such as, whooping-cough, measles, and scarlet fever, fell dramatically even before immunization became available (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Con). This decreased mortality has been attributed to improve personal hygiene, water purification, effective sewage disposal, and better food hygiene and nutrition, not immunization.Many against mandatory vaccination believe that vaccinations interfere with natural law and God’s plan for humanity. They believe that disease is a natural occurrence and humans should not interfere. Vaccines can trigger autoimmune disorders. An un-vaccinated child can build and strengthen his immune system through fi ghting off infection and can develop a natural immunity to diseases like measles and chickenpox. Vaccines could create an artificial immunity which weakens the immune system, leaving the child more vulnerable to other diseases and infections.Opponents of mandatory vaccination believe that vaccines are created for primarily to generate profit for manufacturers and medical organizations that endorse vaccinations. While the economic slant is bothersome to those opposing mandatory vaccines, their side of the argument is fueled by claims paid under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in the United States Court of Federal Claims between 1988 and 2009, which has awarded compensation to 1,322 families whose children suffered brain damage from vaccines (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Did you know? . About 30,000 cases of adverse reactions to vaccines have been reported to the federal government since 1990 (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Did you know? ). Only 13% of tho se cases were classified as serious, i. e. permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illness, or death (ProCon. org, Children Vaccinations, Did you know? ). Should parents have the right to determine whether their child should have mandatory vaccinations, or should the government have the right to decide whether vaccinations are in the best interest of national health?It has been proven that vaccinations can help eliminate diseases that once killed thousands of children. There is still the thought that any risk to a child from immunization is not worth taking, especially considering that most diseases vaccinated against are not necessarily life threatening. The â€Å"slippery slope† seems to be whether the government should have the right to interfere with First Amendment rights.

Resources management in Devon and Somerset fire and Rescue Service Case Study

Resources management in Devon and Somerset fire and Rescue Service - Case Study Example The fire and rescue industry has also not been left out in implementing resources management techniques in their operations. Devon and Somerset is one of the largest fire and rescue service in the UK which was established in the year 2007 through a merger of Somerset and Devon fire brigades. This company operates different fire and rescue subsidiaries in the region thus making resources management vital to ensure growth and survival of the company and also to ensure that the services given to their customers are of higher standards (Cameron, 2009). Resources which help Devon and Somerset fire and rescue service to perform its duties Devon and Somerset Company have different appliances which enable it to perform its core competencies of rescuing and fighting fire during fire emergencies. The company has different and diverse special appliances as well as front line gargets for putting out fire. One of its major appliances which are vital for putting out fire is the water tender ladder. The company’s water tender ladder has the capability of pumping about 3,000 litres of water per minute for two locations and it has a storage capacity of more than 1,800 litres. This pump also has various types of ladders which are up to 13.5 metres. The cab also contains four sets of air breathing apparatus which are compressed. Each of the pumps also contain outside lockers located at the outside part. Inside the pumps, there are a number of powdered rescue equipment usually hydraulic and also a thermal imaging camera, pressure fans, equipment for safety heights and water rescue equipment. Water tender ladder has call sig ns one and three (Trotman Publishing, 2001). Another appliance is the water tender which is almost similar to the above mentioned water tender ladders. The difference is that these two appliances carry different set of equipment with its ladders going up to 10.5 metres. This equipment is not as effective as the water tender ladder and it is usually used for reinforcement purposes. Incident command vehicles are other equipment or apparatus used by Devon and Somerset Company during fire and rescue missions. They carry out the roles of controlling the site and contacting the control rooms of different stations. Large incidents prompt activation of control units to ensure the mobilisation of more appliances. The incident control vehicles controls communications regarding the progress of the incidence and they carry call sign C. Other appliances include the prime movers (also known as the environmental and incident support units). These vehicles provide logistical support in cases of big incidents and also carry any additional equipment which may be necessary. Equipment carried by these vehicles usually are very specialised and they are used to control the spillage of chemicals thus protecting the environment. Water foam carriers are also used by this company which are used for transporting additional water especially in rural areas. Rescue vehicles, fire

Introduction To History Of Technology Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Introduction To History Of Technology - Article Example The initial examples of prosthetics, as well as amputations, were identified in the ancient Egyptian territory. The ancient Egyptians believed that a person who got amputated in life carried on the amputation into afterlife status. Hence, they got buried with the missing prosthetic devices. These prosthetics got uncovered later in the 15th century. The history, however, is more about the Greeks and Romans than it is of Egypt. For instance, it was in the 484 BC, when a Persian soldier escaped the Greek prison through amputating the leg and replaced it with a wooden prosthesis. Medical technology is vivid in this context. It is stipulated that the dark ages were the periods where prosthetic technology, as well as the scientific technology, developed. However, the pace of development was relatively low. In fact, the devices that got developed with respect to the development of this technology were of insuperable sizes. The devices were heavy and large. They got made of wood, leather peg legs, and metal. Therefore, they remain similar to those of the Greek periods. The amputees were essentially used to using the early clutches which got made of wood together with leather. The blacksmiths of the time designed these knight armor devices to resemble a camouflage handicap. Hence, it did not have to look like an everyday functioning limb. In relation to the history of the limb prosthetics, diseases got cured through amputations and use of cannons. This is one of the memorable medical attempts in that particular historical age.  

Japanese Major Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Japanese Major - Personal Statement Example It is my steady belief that interest is the best teacher an individual can have. This is because everything in the world is exhibited on limitless levels and thousands of facets, and the floating out of an individual’s potential occurs from a minute point in the person. I love language not simply because it is essential for communication, but more because it carries significant beauty in it. The study of language seems meticulous and monotonous to many people, while to me it is a bottomless ocean of fun. I am a Taiwanese who studied in China international school, as an international student. I developed interest in languages at a young age. As a child, I spoke Mandarin, the only language that my parents understood. I later felt an inner drive to study other languages and attempt communication in them. My interest was further boosted later in life when a group of university students presented a play in our school. It was a lively play, which they acted in five different languag es. The students were young, intelligent, and highly vigorous, demonstrating inspiring communication skills and teaching expertise. Though we could not understand most of these languages, we enjoyed every bit of the presentation. I was, in particular, fascinated by their unique and original skills. I was later to think about it, and the old memory of studying different languages hit me. Other than my interest in languages, the play made me realize that education should be subjugated by advanced ideas, which should, in turn be supported by effectual teaching strategies. In my attempt to study other languages, I self-studied Japanese. Through this study, I was in a position to communicate with my grandparents. This is because they were educated by Japanese and became deeply influenced by the Japanese culture. Japanese was, therefore, the only language that they could communicate. I, therefore, in order to facilitate communication with them, had to learn some Japanese culture and langu age. Between my interest and passion, I was in a position to communicate in Japanese with much ease. It was this achievement that made me realize and appreciate the benefits of persistence. That was one of my achievements and I have grown to know that I can achieve anything as long as I have the interest. Later, I assisted my parents by translating Cantonese and English into Mandarin in their business. They were very grateful and, though I was young, felt very important. I have ever since, had a deep-seated interest in majoring in the Japanese Language. Due to my deep-seated interest in languages, I intend to major in Japanese. I am particularly attracted to the powerful vibrant intellectual, pedagogical resource, and the comprehensive curriculum in the university. Holding firmly to the Japanese culture, I decided to participate in extracurricular activities. As a result of this, I joined the Taiwanese student association and became a member of the Japanese culture club. I was chose n the vice-president of the Taiwanese student association a position which, though challenging, has equipped me with significant experience. I once organized a Halloween event with two other clubs, an event that really challenged my ability. There arose some conflicts between the clubs, and as the vice-president, my success stood in settling the conflicts and making the event a success. It was the success of this event that made most people develop note worthy